Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Letter to the Community

I have news about the Euro Truck Simulator 2 release: finally, we are ready to commit to a specific release time.

This piece of good news may however be mixed with a bit of disappointment, especially for the less patient among you.

We have been working on the game for almost two years, sticking to the proverbial "when it's done" planning all this time. Now, at last we are confident that the status of "good enough to be proud of the achievement" is on the horizon.

We have set the release time to first week of August 2012.

We are aware that waiting almost 6 more months is a lot for many of you. We haven't announced any release date ourselves until now, but some of our distributors have been working with speculative time-frames for the release, raising hope among you of an earlier release.

Taking 30 months to develop a game is a tough decision to arrive to. It is testing the patience of you - fans of our games, it is testing the patience of our distributors, and it is definitely testing the dedication of the development team. However we are confident that it was The Right Thing to do - we needed enough time to re-factor the graphics engine at the core of the game and to develop the cool effects on top of it, we needed the time to build the high-detail 3D models to populate the virtual world with, it took considerable effort and time to establish industrial and commercial relationships that will elevate our games to a new level. Giving in to time pressure would only result in us having to make too many compromises. We have just one chance to make a good first impression.

Euro Truck Simulator 2 will bring a massive improvement over our previous games, but in fact, it will "only" be a major milestone along a long and windy road ahead. There are many cool features that we would like to add, but lots of things will have to wait for a future game or games. Our wish list is very long, and you are constantly helping us grow it even longer with your input and feedback. It would be a dream scenario to be able to pack all those features in - season changes through the year, cities teeming with pedestrians, other types of big vehicles to drive, being able to get out of the cabin and explore the world on foot, vehicle damage from collisions, real brands for everything in the world, loading and unloading cargo from the trailer, multiplayer, covering all of Europe from Iberian Peninsula to Ural mountains, from polar circle to Asia Minor, and then going beyond the confines of Europe to both North and South America, to Africa, Asia and Australia, the list goes on and on. Euro Truck Simulator 2 should be a solid step towards the goal of the ultimate truck simulator, but only the first such step (well, second actually). With your continuing help and support, we want to continue the effort beyond the release of the game and take the remaining steps in the years to come.

Many of you may question why we are taking so long, and why we are not able to grant more of your wishes for features to include, why we are not covering more European countries. The answer is the same that we have always offered - truck simulation games are far from mainstream, and limited sales of our past games can only support a small development team. With ETS2 we have taken a bold step to grow the team size, from 5-7 to a bit over 10 people, but compared to AAA driving games productions with hundreds of people on payroll, we are tiny. We are trying to punch above our weight, putting in as much content and features as we humanly could manage to produce, but to build even more, we will have to rely on profits that should hopefully come from future sales of our games. If you want more features, bigger world and more vehicles in our games, all I can say is this: If you consider our games worth playing, consider them worth buying, too. Recommending them to friends wouldn't hurt either.

Your wait for something new from SCS Software doesn't have to take full six months though. As you have learned with the release of Trucks & Trailers, there are actually two internal teams at SCS Software now working in parallel. While the bigger team is still toiling on our opus magnum - Euro Truck Simulator 2, the smaller team is now taking advantage of a new opportunity arising out of our cooperation with the transportation industry. Very soon, you can expect an announcement about an exciting project that's under way in our labs, project which should be out even before ETS2 hits the stores. These smaller projects turn out to be significant contributors to pursuing the dream of the ultimate all-encompassing truck sim, and while they deserve merit on their own, we hope that you can understand that they are not delaying us from working on ETS2, but rather helping us finance its development and broaden its feature set.

Please keep your patience in check and stay loyal to us, and keep your eyes and mind open for future announcements from SCS Software on this blog. To keep the long wait a bit tolerable, we will be sure to post more news, images and movies from what we are working on.

I think that's the news everyone was waiting, this.. may I say message to the community is great and explaining everything to the public. You're the first development team sharing so much with their fans/customers than any other have shared ever. We can wait till August it's not that bad, even preaty nice instead.. Till then lots and lots of new features'll be added and new ideas will pop up + there'll be more time to get liecense to brands, making the game even more realistic. We're with you SCS.

Now expecting news is no longer just a wait, but time passing till the release!

This will give you a link to the cab ceiling of Mercedes Megaspace cab if you can do to buy flowers for lighting in the game.Link:http://www.mercedes-benz.bg/content/bulgaria/mpc/mpc_bulgaria_website/bgng/home_mpc/truck_home/home/trucks/actros/cabs/features.fb0007.html

- People in the city - Animals along the roads as the trucks and trailers in the rabbit - Four wheel drive 4x4, 6x6 - Snow, slippery roads - Ai is varied, a bus, BDF truck, motorcycle, police car, fire rescue - Logs from the forest, such as sand from the mine - Simple trailer and double, as American Long Haul in - Diesel trailer and petrol trailer to petrol stations in - Trucks and trailers Languages - Machines and the asphalt utépítésekhez such as 20x, and open a new section of road. - Small villages along the roads - Felt the weight of the trailer - 360 degrees in the cabin - Purchase of the countries, such as ETS1 in

Yeah like the petrol and diesel would be delivered like it's received, only a bar that tells you how much is left... 30% here or thousunds of liters, en the next station is wanting 70% or amount in liters. 2-3 stops per trailer before returning the it. Same with the goods, only I want to see 1 axle delivery trailer for short runs to stores, % or amount bar to deliver.

You have the most impatient, vocal and ridiculously demanding fan base :D Good luck with the game, I'm glad you are taking your time. Hopefully this will become a platform that you can use to expand your franchise. The features you mention that you hope to one day be able to incorporate into a game sound very exciting, already looking forward to The Ultimate Truck Simulator, available in 2016 or so.

Thank you very much Mr. Sebor for your detailed letter.You and your team are doing an amazing job and should be proud of your splendid achievements.I have been your loyal fan since the beginning (purchased all of your wonderful games/simulators). Therefore, I will patiently wait till release and I fully support your decisions 100%.*** Just a quick message to the community:Please, say NO to game piracy! Support SCS and other gaming developers and purchase the games legally! ***

the scs software needs to do a bus simulator that has the same quality as ETS2, a game with bus station, roads, passengers and a very nice 3D. this is a wish of a boy that love's buses and trucks, I'm from Goiânia-Go in Brazil

Thannk you for your feedback about the ETS2 relese date. Hopefully we will wait until august 2012 and buy the game whatever the cost is. But scs software team dont forget to mention the system requirements on your next blog, so that we can upgrade our PC..............

6 more months, it's much for me, but there's no rush to be honest. Take your time, SCS. Just focus on the game and the result will be incredible. Now that the game is delayed, please consider making a very simple multiplayer version (a cheap one, that won't cost too much). I think it will take 1-2 months of developing, and I guess it's not a big deal - that would be the smartest decision. Good luck.

AWESOME WORK YOU GUYS!! just as roli said, it would be lovely to felt the weight of the trailer, and i also would love a game with big american trucks!! that would RULE!!! and hey guys suport scs BUY the game and help them grow and so will the future games!! =D

Firstly, the game should be the script and the main characters, Cator as animation and scripted commercials should obschatsya.The cars must be damage to the body from blows and dents.That's when it will be a simulator.-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hi, i would like to thank you for your effort to make ETS 2 better. I have one sugestion for you: the trucks that are driven by computer should also have to refuel, rest, load and unload cargo like ours. I will buy the game in august when it will be released. Best of luck from Slovenia

Thanks Pavel for being so honest and upfront. At least now we have a real release date for us to look forward to. I've said before, I'd rather wait longer if it means getting a more finished game packed with all the new features you tempt us with.

I really think if you have a strategy after release to add more vehicles/countries/features then this has potential to be THE trucking sim everyone will want.

2: Coloured Map showing the developmenthttp://img46.imageshack.us/img46/3421/map1vc.pngGreen: The Country is done.Yellow: The Country appears in the game but not fully made.Orange: The Country should be added on the release or patch.Red: The Country doesn't appear in the game but in my opinion should be added.

I can wait 1 year if you want, to play this amazing game!!! I'm from Brazil and I know a lot of people that is going to buy Euro Truck Simulator 2 just to help you guys making better games on the future!!! If we want something better, we must pay for it.

Hy SCS! Of course we can wait until August. We support the SCS team and buy the game to keep the team above, and will release the next truck simulator, which is perhaps the name "International Truck Simulator" and the game will start at the main menu, you can válazstani that Americans or Europeans. Continue the great work!

I have a suggestion of enhancing the feel of the trucks. you can add rumble/vibration, e.g you switch on the engine and the steering wheel/ gamepad rumbles, and if you rev the engine the vibrations become faster. in which case if you are driving fast the truck will feel as if it is rumbling/vibration more. If you added with effect it would really make a difference. Cant wait for August :D

Thank you for your words, Pavel. I shall wait patiently, if impatiently at the same time as I look forward to the game. Let us hope this is just the first (or second then) step on a long and rewarding journey for both you and us, your fans. Six months or so, at least I got my pre-order placed, just to show I am there when it comes.

The future of SCS is something to look forward to indeed, but long before that I do certainly eagerly await to learn more about this surprise you have coming for us.

If you want more features, bigger world and more vehicles in our games, all I can say is this: If you consider our games worth playing, consider them worth BUYING, too. Recommending them to friends wouldn't hurt either.

People 6 months isn't long time, especialy when you're going to school or work, time's passing like wind.

Look at this not with disapointment and madness, but as opportunitie to have more features ingame and perfect 3D modeled tractors (like SCS will have time to rework the MAN and IVECO trucks), great gaming environment, more roads, etc..

First of all I would like to thank you for your amazing 18 WoS serial. I'm not a truck driver, nor i own one, but your games have woken interest in trucks in me, and I used to spend days playing this serial and driving across USA. I also want to thank you for German (although big mistake was missing English lang.) and UK Truck Simulator, because besides that those are very good games, they are first step for making an awesome truck simulator as I hope ETS2 will be.

I want to thank you for your enthusiasm, for your patience, for your stubbornness (in good way), for your open and direct communication with your growing fan base. I want to thank you for your great effort in making ETS2, and providing us an unique game on the world. I also want to thank you for this blog, and often update of information. You guys are awesome, never give up and in future stay as great as you are.

I just have one suggestion. Please, after releasing game, please build an official forum that will gather scattered fans from all the world.

I wish you all the best, good health to you and your families, greetings from Serbia.Regards, Nemanja.

As long as you put some high buildings in the game for me I will be more than happy. Is there any chance of putting some Super-villians in for me to beat up on the road.Many Thanks.Your Friendly Neighborhood Spidey

Hi guys me and my frinds from Bristol/UK are behind you all the way I enjoy planying Euro Truck Simulator, German Truck Siulator and UK Truck Simulator. Looking at the screenshots you have posted i am more that welcome to wait till August for the game i have latly started modding for uk truck sim and said to my friends i wont want to mod ets2 because of how it is being done. You are putting hard time into this game and all i keep thinking is well SCS are the best yeh people think im stupid playing truck sims but if they saw how many people actually played it and how much time is spent making it then they would understand also i am loving the shot above it shows the truck in a nice veiw. 1thing i would of added was as another option in moddig the trucks ingame would be for a scania to be able to be turned into a scania t-cab and the same with daf into a daf xt (just what i was thinking about). Anyway i love the game and hope all goes well.Yours sinserly Ashley WillmanAvonmout/BristolUnited Kingdom

Working in the simulation games industry myself, I salute you guys for taking the step of announcing a release date. Having followed progress from early on, the quality I have seen so far will make the wait very worthwhile. I eagerly await August - but please don't rush the product for the sake of the money and the baying crowd - I've been at the sharp end of a rushed development cycle - and the fallout is far from pretty. Release it when YOU are ready. I think you guys are very close to the pleasent sharp end of the cycle though - the praise at the end will be great - keep it up...

Better illumination of the roadway? bi-xenon headlamps in performance. For Mercedes Actros.Better illumination of the roadway, higher safety? Actros headlights are available in bi-xenon performance. With a range of 130 meters of beam.Link:http://www.mercedes-benz.bg/content/bulgaria/mpc/mpc_bulgaria_website/bgng/home_mpc/truck_home/home/trucks/actros/cabs/features.0003.html

Available with an optional adjustable to 5 positions with rain sensor and lighting increases safety and comfort: it includes automatic wipers at the first drops on the lens and turns the lights when entering a tunnel for example.Link: http://www.mercedes-benz.bg/content/bulgaria/mpc/mpc_bulgaria_website/bgng/home_mpc/truck_home/home/trucks/actros/cabs/features.0003.fb0002.html

Thankfully it will not release, maybe in six months because it will take a little longer for me to change computers!But I think it right, I'm patient, and also we want a good game that does not enjoe quickly, and I know that the game will have an addition to the things that we want the blog you also want, but I can wait a next game done for you.

And I ask the people who read my comment please are only 6 months and SCS will always be sending several legal news to let us inside the game, be patient for a game that I'm sure will appear among the '10 Best Games 2012 '.

For me it will be even harder to stop frequenting the blog, because already turned up force of habit, I am always following the blog since January 2011, but at the same time, felt homesick for getting in more than five times a day looking for a new news ...

Today I am 12 years old, but if the SCS has still standing until about 2020 to 2025, I can wait there in the Czech Republic that will be there to help you make an awesome game!

we need more people like you, Eric! Ones that are willing to wait even though it's a 6 month wait. People, we need to be patient! This can give us more time to prepare financially, and if we're upgrading our systems to meet the demands of this masterpiece!

I'll wait for your work with many expectations...I'll be patient because your work rock!!! For real, I love your games and I restarted German Truck a week ago, so I have to do in these months waiting ETS2 XD !!!Keep the good work scs, greetings from Italy

Dear Pavel,I can only learn, with sadness, that news of the release date still far.But, as I always said, I support the cause for which he is best to focus on the quality of the product even if it means taking more time.I will never stop supporting you because what you call Your dreams coincide exactly with mine and that is the realization of a great simulator. Therefore Good job. Armando from ITALY

Pavel and SCS, I can wait until August, if there is a good reason for it. And if you saying so, I believe it. At least we finally know The Date. :-) I'm also very curious about your new project (looks like Scania dedicated game), inform us soon!

Please take the time you need, SCS! I am willing to wait until then to wait for such a magnificent game! Heck I'm even willing to pay $100+ for such a game like this, more than any other game I've bought in the past! I will remain loyal to your cause because I know it's going to be worth the wait!

the last thing you said is:"we will be sure to post more news, images and movies from what we are working on"Please, do so!!! It's what's keeping us alive, we need to feed on your pics, videos and topics here on your blog.bring them! lots of! promise me that! :D :Dgood luck with the development!!!!

Everyone should buy this game! We have to suport scs and like a fan of this games I encourage all fans of ets to buy it and hope that we can have an extended map in a future and more exciting things. Good work SCS! Continue doing this amazing work

Dude is your problem, if you will buy or not!Just because you go to buy a game you think the SCS will fail.You will make a difference whatsoever, because they think so many people throughout Europe who will buy this game and also from other continents. So what I'm from Brazil, and see if the game goes by Brazil, is nothing, but I'll buy.And another very misinformed you ta this game will do even two years in September, and even it will already have released the same game.

Well at least we now know when it will be released, that will cut out much of the spam. August is a while away, but it can wait, especially if you release an awesome game. I wonder what this little project will be???

Anyway, thanks so much for writing this letter, and I look forward to the release of the game:D

Finally a really good new, we will be able to play the game before the world ends on 2012!!! Thanks SCS, thats all I can expect. And thanks for explaining all reasons as you do, I think to be evidence every what you tell, but sometimes people is too unconcious about videogame world (economicaly speaking).

I think its obvious not to expect some of the crazyest ideas that you want to improve for the moment, but I only think one of them would dissapoint me. That is the pedestrians subject. I saw a really (more than awesome) good work on Trucks & Trailers, and I think that puting a try on ETS2 (even not on all the city, just on non-entry parts, insdustrial parts,... something, would be great.

We all are amazed about your work on country´s land, and I only hope someday to continue working on all peninsula, but thats simply continue working, and making some add-ons, appart from all great modders that would make the game even better.

world is going to end in 2012 there too???if you want to play the game in 2013 too,come to greece.Half greece will end in 2012 but the other half will continue!xaxaxaxaDont worry my friend the world wont end in 12-12-2012 cause on this planet,the fucking assholes are so many and everywhere,you see stupidness is a free gift and everyone got it inside.Till today the world has been destroyed million times.year 2000 was the end,but god got sickness and desided to destroy it in 2001 and again 2002 and gain 2003......11-11-2011 and 12-12-2012 and thank god there is no 13-13-2013 so HAVE FUN next year the world wont be destroyed yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

yea,also can you make a car driver stopped in alarms at the side of the road pissing?Or a kid shiting?And could be useful too,to have a hooker autostoping trucks and blow them too.xaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxDont ask things that pleassure only you.Its just spamming that prevent SCS team from reading a better and more important idea!If you want to kill foxes and rabbits go play LINEAGE II

DEAR SCS TEAM,WATCHING THE VIDEOS,WE CAN UNDERSTAND WHY THE RELEASE WILL BE IN AUGUST,TAKE YOUR TIME AND RELEASE IT WHENEVER ITS GONNA BE COMPLETELY PERFECT FOR YOU AND FOR US.WE CAN WAIT EVEN MORE AS LONG AS YOU RELEASE A DEMO.RELEASE A DEMO NOW!!!!!!MAKE IT SMALL,MAKE IT JUST IN A SMALL TOWN,JUST IN A SINGLE ROAD MAKE IT JUST TO GET ALL THE TRUCKS A RIDE AROUND THE CORNER,JUST RELEASE A DEMO NOW!!!!!!!!NOT IN 3 MONTHS.NOW!FEBRUARY!!YOU GOT 3 MORE DAYS THIS YEAR IN FEBRUARY!RELEASE A DEMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was thinking how it could be played multi with server but the problems are too many,and the biggest problem is that it couldnt quest the millions of fans in just one server.Then thought about LAN but you have to make your house internet cafe,or go and play to internet cafe but this is not an internet cafe game,this is a home chillout game.So the only thing that can be done is simple private server with max 10 users and doing what???Talking in CB,hit the horne on the road if they ever meet?Go for coffee together?Or you got the business and i am the driver?I guess you can understand that the game as it is,THERE IS NO POINT OF MULTI FOR ANYREASON.

looking forward getting my hands on ets2!truck and trailers is awesome!!An idea!!!!! i would love to see ets2 with heavy duty transports , road trains, achievments such as those in trcu nad trailers!Or a standlone game e.g "HEAVY TRANSPORTS"!!hose trasnports improve skills!!!cya!!!

Take the time you need.I like the Style of the Trucksims you make.I get T&T and it was fun. When you make at the same time small Games for us that makes fun, i can wait as long it needs.I think there are many others like me where support you, by buying that Games and they get not bored about the waiting Time.I have seen many Games in Beta and was thinking, okay it needs a half year longer because it has to much bugs. And the Devs pusht the Game a month later out with the same bugs.

But you work not only to earn mony you do it for the community.This is what i feel.

I wrilly must say that the simulators that you do are totally great and i can take my time and wait for the new ets2 game because 10 people can not do what for exp.100 people can do and people usually say that good things come thy people who wait or something like that and i do hope that i can drive in Finland in this sim or i can take a real scs patch thy the game later so thank you a lott scs.

Guys, will you release demo version of ETS 2?Leave some innovations for your next project. I think that ETS 2 have enough innovations for interesting gameplay. If you will leave opportunity of modding a game, somebody necessarily to make a big map for game.

Real fan will wait! I can wait and Im not angry at all. Take as much time as you want I will buy this game even in 2013 I will support sim games because I love simulations. Casual gamers are like virus but developers got money from that kind of players so they make simple games with candy graphics but this mainstream destroys other games like simulators ect :/Lets hope that real gamers will live long and not all new gamers will become brainless zombies playing mainstream games.

SCS Im still supporting you and Im patient. So make this game long enough to make it bug free and put as many features as you can :)

SCS Software

Take a look under the hood! SCS Software - makers of vehicle simulation games including 18 Wheels of Steel Series, Bus Driver, and Euro Truck Simulator. Currently working hard on Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator.